Massage brushes are known to provide effective scalp massage to stimulate blood circulation to hair follicles. By doing so, hair receives vital nutrients necessary for healthy growth and a lustrous sheen. The massage action also helps to detangle the thickest hair without hair breakage and may be used for wet or dry hair.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,676,347; 2,806,235; 3,427,674; 3,870,056; 3,782,395; and 5,511,270 are exemplary of the heretofore known massage brushes. The '347 patent discloses a "military" style (handle-less) scalp brush having mating modules enclosing a power-operated reciprocating member, and a brush mounted thereto for back-and-forth reciprocating movement. The '235 patent discloses a vibrating hairbrush having a shell that houses a power-operated vibratory member and a brush attached to the bottom of the shell. In one embodiment, a handle rigidly extends from the shell, while another embodiment is "military" style. The '674 patent discloses a power-operated hairbrush having an elongated drive housing graspable by hand and a brush head mounted thereto that includes brush bristles positioned therein for extension and retraction thru aligned openings in the head as the latter rotates. The '056 patent discloses reciprocating combs in a hair detangling device having a rigid handle. The '395 patent discloses a battery-powered hair teasing device having an eccentric that rocks an extending brush member side-to-side about a pivot. The '270 patent discloses a battery-operated hair detangling brush having a brush head mounted for sliding and rotary motion relative to the axis of an elongated handle.
The utility of the heretofore known massage brushes has been limited in that they have been cumbersome to use and otherwise not compact; have required AC outlet access and otherwise have not been portable; their mechanisms have been complicated, and they have been composed of multiple, and thus costly, component parts; their bristles have been subject to crushing and otherwise have not been damage resistant; their brush heads have not been interchangeable; and/or once their brush-heads have been soiled with use, it has not been easy to clean their bristles.